This is a past event.

MAE Graduate Seminar Speaker Series

proudly presents

Craig Hill, PhD

University of Minnesota

Abstract

This talk will highlight seasonal and annual wave energy resource characteristics from a study calculating the spatial and temporal distributions of wave resource parameters following IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards and the US Department of Energy’s wave energy resource classification system. Results focus on analysis from 15 years of historical numerical modeling and buoy observations to estimate annual energy potential and the role the Great Lakes could play towards sustainably developing unique solutions for marine energy and the Blue Economy. Among a variety of marine energy technologies, we begin exploring the feasibility of coastal structure integrated wave energy converters (CSI-WECs) and their potential incentives for generating energy in nearshore environments close to load or storage centers. Among several CSI-WEC archetypes, a vertically-oriented oscillating surge wave energy converter (VOSWEC) concept provides potential advantages, including out-of-water power take off systems, integration into existing or new coastal infrastructure, attachment to existing or new offshore platforms or coastal pier foundations, relatively simple in-water geometric configurations, adoption of other OSWEC advancements, among other advantages. To explore the viability of VOSWEC technologies, we will discuss early-stage project developments for wave tank tests and simulations to better understand VOSWEC dynamics. As part of this project, we also explore Froude scaling from our local North American Great Lakes sea states to other global locations, and the potential for advancing this and other CSI-WEC concepts through field-scale testing in energetic freshwater environments. Lastly, we discuss the role this accessible freshwater cold-climate region could play in the development and testing of energy technologies targeting Polar region deployments where sea-ice interactions may impact device operations.

Bio

Dr. Craig Hill is an Assistant Professor in the University of Minnesota (UMN) Duluth Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, and affiliated with the UMN Institute on the Environment and Large Lakes Observatory. He received a BA in Geology from the University of St. Thomas and his MS and PhD in Civil Engineering at the UMN Twin Cities campus. Following graduate school, he spent time as a Postdoc at the University of Washington in Seattle working on R&D in marine renewable energy, as well as a 2-year break from academia working as a product development and composites engineer in the sporting goods industry. Dr. Hill’s research interests span the intersection between marine environments and engineered systems. His group focuses on identifying new technologies to aid in society’s transition towards sustainable energy, smart environments, and resilient coastal communities. This includes exploring new real-time observation platforms for marine monitoring, fluid-structure interactions of marine and wind energy technologies, wave climate and coastal impacts in the Great Lakes, and opportunities for marine energy technologies to power blue industries. Dr. Hill is particularly interested in connecting students and the community with the Great Lakes environment, sustainable energy systems, and Duluth’s unique maritime industry on Lake Superior.

Invited by: Gordon Parker and Tania Demonte Gonzalez